


It Starts at Midnight

by cupofbrownsugar



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark!Jim, M/M, Magic user!Bones, Possessive Behavior, Vampire!Jim, halloween fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-04-27 11:21:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5046526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupofbrownsugar/pseuds/cupofbrownsugar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For one night a year, Jim became something else. </p>
<p>Leonard had almost forgotten.</p>
<p>(Aka the Halloween fic I meant to post last year.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Starts at Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a year ago and meant to post it here for Halloween, and then completely forgot! So here it is for this year's Halloween, with minor grammar edits and all the original run-on sentences!
> 
> (Apparently I pretty much only post vampire!Jim on here!)
> 
> Can also be found on my tumblr, cupofbrownsugar

It starts at midnight.

Leonard had almost forgotten, had let himself sink into the comfort and bliss of their happy relationship, let his beautiful boyfriend continue cuddling him from behind under the light of the full moon. He’d drifted off to the feel of the crisp breeze, the sounds of children’s laughter from the nearby neighbourhoods…

It was 11:54 pm when hazel eyes shot open, body freezing still. Jim whined “ _Bones…_ ” behind him and tried to snuggle further into the crook of his neck. It was two minutes later that Len had the runes hastily scrawled on their bedroom floor in chalk, a minute later he’d lit the candles, Jim blinking blearily and finally managing to sit up, not fully awake and confusedly watching his boyfriend. He had one minute left as the last words of the spell left Bones’ mouth, and only a few seconds when he managed to get the salt laid down around him in time.

And when the bells of the nearby clock tower began to ring, Jim blinked, and finally truly opened his eyes, pupils shrunk to pinpricks and the bright blue aglow. Bones watched, sitting tense and silent in the middle of his circle, as the love of his life looked around the room with avid curiosity before landing upon the brunet, a wide, terrifying smile of twin razor sharp fangs spreading across the man’s beautiful face.

“Hello, Bones.” His voice was too smooth, too sweet, and the blond pouted as he eyed the circle. “Not this nonsense again, must you do this every year?”

Jim stood up, _tsk_ ‘ing with every step. “This would be so much easier if you just gave yourself to me.” He stopped just an inch away from the salt ring, voice playful as he asked, “What if you didn’t do it right this time?” He moved his foot slightly closer, as if to just sweep the salt away. “What if you weren’t quick enough?”

Leonard said nothing, hazel eyes steady, but he knew his boyfriend could hear his heartbeat quicken, smell the rise of anxiety as the other man leaned down, never breaking the gaze, to try and break the circle.

It sparked, moonlight rippling around the spherical barrier that surrounded Leonard, and Jim hissed, eyes bright and vicious as his fangs caught the light as well.

The blond’s face twitched, the growl in his throat dying out as Jim returned himself to a picture of calm, of control, looking to Leonard with a smile as he said, “So it’s like this again.”

The smile disappeared, and something echoed in Jim’s voice that was dark, chilling. “I can wait, Leonard.” His eyes gleamed again. “This will break, and you will be mine.”

Leonard didn’t respond, knowing the other could use his voice against him. He just tensed his jaw and mentally counted the minutes.

-  
  
At 1 am, Jim had simply sat in front of him, smiling casually and talking sweetly, “Do we really need to go though all this fuss?” Jim looked so _stunning_ in the moonlight, his smile was so inviting and his eyes were so warm. “We could just go back to bed, Bones, it’s such a nice night, and we were so comfortable…”

Jim leaned in further. “We could sleep in late. I’ll even make banana pancakes in the morning, I know you love them, don’t deny it.” He laughed softly, _so_ like his Jim it _hurt._ “Come on, babe, can’t you just come out of there?”

Bones just straightened his back, made himself less comfortable, and clenched his hands on his thighs. He caught the slight narrowing of blue eyes, and it helped strengthen his resolve.

-

At 2 am, Jim had started pacing around the room, letting a claw trace along the barrier as he looped around him, sparks fluttering off as he did so, his voice still casual but taking a menacing lilt, “You know, Bones, what’s really keeping me here? You’re stuck in there, but I could go anywhere tonight.”

He walked calmly to the window, gazing at the moon. “I could go visit that nice young couple that just put a mortgage on their home down the street. Or that little old lady that always bakes us pies.”

He leaned forward, smiling as he looked down at the street below. “Maybe stop a couple trick-or-treaters that strayed away from their parents…”

He turned and smiled at Leonard, with a darkness in his face and voice that made Bones’ fingers twitch.

“Your grandparents, McCoy. You know I’m fast enough, and I’m _sure_ they miss me. It’s been too long since our last visit.”

Leonard swallowed hard against the dryness in his mouth, but remained still; this wasn’t the first time Jim had tried this. The guilt and terror that had wracked through the brunet haunted him for weeks afterward, when tears had streamed down his face the entire night but he _had not moved_ despite Jim’s threats.

He’d learned by now that the threats were empty, that Jim would not leave his side, that there was only one thing in this world, in this _universe_ that Jim wanted right now, and it was sitting and waiting inside of this circle.

-

At 3 am, Jim sat silent, not speaking, but growling like rolling thunder, eyes bright and malicious as they locked with Leonard’s. His lips twitched, pulling back to bear fangs and _hiss_ and stare unblinkingly at the brunet, but he did not move.

Leonard hated this part, hated this false calm, when Jim would sit and _pout_ but wouldn’t move. A still Jim Kirk was an unpredictable one, and it made electricity trace along Leonard’s spine, tense and unnerving.

-

At 4 am, Jim started breaking things, walking around the room with defiance on his face and coldness in his voice, spite in every step.

“What the fuck even is this shit?” The blonde held up a small glass snow globe that they’d gotten together last spring. He dropped it to the floor and grimaced as it shattered, stepping through the glass to knock down photos of them from that summer on the wall.

“Ugh, how fucking awful, did you really think I liked this stuff?” The look of disgust on Jim’s face was almost palpable, the detest in his voice burning Leonard’s ears. “Did you really think I actually cared, Bones?”

The blond walked back in front of him, holding the first love letter that Jim had written him and that Leonard kept in his wallet at all times, waving it back and forth as he held Leonard's gaze.

“Did you really think I ever loved you?” There was no cruelty in his voice anymore, just _honesty_ , and Leonard bit at the inside of his cheek to ignore the sharp pains jutting in his chest as he watched the note be torn to pieces.

-

At 5 am, blue eyes were blinking at him, big and wide, as Jim looked around the room with a shake in his voice and said, “Bones?”

Jim sat closer, eyes so blue and so lost, as he said desperately, “Bones, it’s me. Just me. It’s okay now, you can come out.” And his eyes became sad, _despaired_ , the blond looking so small and so broken, “Bones, I’m so tired, I’m so cold. Please, come out of there and hold me, oh god, Bones, I’m _scared,_ I miss you.”

Leonard could feel himself twitch forward, but made himself _stay still_ as he forced himself to bite down on his bottom lip until it _bled_.

And blue eyes _changed_ then, pupils shrinking and blue lighting unnaturally as Jim _stared_ at the blood running down Leonard’s chin, panted for breath as his fangs grew long.

And Jim _snarled_ , leaping forward and _tearing_ at the barrier, claws shooting sparks and fingers burning and the flesh just growing back again, and the blond yelled, _screeched,_ “ _Let me in, Bones, let me in!!”_

He tore and tore at the barrier, face pale and barely human, as the wall lit up like lightning but held firm, and Jim just kept shouting at him, voice full of _rage_ and _fire_ with a ring of desperation, “ _You’re **mine** , Leonard McCoy, you are **mine!!** ”_

Leonard could feel his breath quaver, felt great effort in blinking, as he stared into the inhuman raging eyes of his lover. He tried to repeat the words in Jim’s soft voice, murmured just the morning before, “ _I am yours I am yours I am yours.”_

-

At 6 am, Leonard felt like he could barely breathe. His back ached and his chest hurt and Jim’s voice was ringing in his ears, as the man whimpered and whined and _cried_ out for him, tearing at the floor and the walls as he howled as though the words were being torn from his lungs, “ _ **Why don’t you want me?! Why don’t you love me, Leonard?!** ” _

Leonard’s chest was heaving now, shoulders shaking, cheeks wet and eyes red. Every particle of him was _screaming_ to break the seal but he forced himself still as he watched his love tear himself to pieces in front of him.

And then the sun began to rise, _finally_ , and Jim sounded like he was _burning_ , and god, the first time Leonard thought he really was, steam streaming off the man’s pale flesh. But he knew now what it was, he knew now that it was the vampire blood that had pooled in the halfling’s body over the year being seared away, that it would start again the very next day, and that next year at this time the sun would burn it away again.

Len could feel his entirety shaking by the time it was over, almost as badly as Jim, who was collapsed on the floor, curled in on himself and breathing feebly. It was several minutes before he could sit up, eyes red and wet with horrid dark blotches beneath them. He wiped at his nose, his mouth, looking around with slow recognition before making eye contact with Leonard.

Blue eyes widened, bright and horrified, and Jim’s voiced trembled, hoarse, “Oh god…” He scrambled back on shaking arms, feet digging into the floor until he hit their bed. “Oh god, Bones, no…”

_“Get away from me!_ ” Jim’s voice sounded like a cry, begging, “Get away, Bones, _now!”_ He finally seemed to notice the circle around the other man, giving a sob of relief before trying to scramble further backwards, turn into himself. “ _Don’t come out of there_ , Bones, not for any reason!!”

As he watched the man crumble in front of him, as he heard his voice break, Leonard surged forward, dashing the salt in front of him as he raced forward on shaking, stiff legs, to wrap the trembling, broken man into his arms.

Jim tried to resist, tried to push him away, tears streaming down his face. “Don’t, _I’ll hurt you_ , you _can’t_ , Bones, _I can’t_ -”

But Leonard just held him tighter, his eyes just as wet, pressing his lips to the blond’s forehead and hair as he murmured over and over again, “It’s okay, it’s over now, it’s okay, you’re okay now and so am I, it’s okay.”

After a few minutes, Jim stopped finally fighting and just nodded, making his breathing match that of his boyfriend’s, who had spent years practicing calming his breath so that the blond could do just that.

Jim held his face then, so gently, only a small quaver in his voice as he said, “I love you, you need to know that, alright? I love you more than anything and I hate myself for it.” His eyes darted to the circle, and the deep, ragged scratches surrounding it, before returning to hazel, squeezing shut tight. “I hate it so _much-”_

“Don't.” Leonard stopped him. “Because I’m just the same. I love you more than the world itself and you can’t forget that either.” He held Jim’s hand on his face, holding tight. “And there’s nothing that you could become that would stop me from loving you.”

Jim kissed him then, desperate and eager and just so _Jim_ , lapping away the blood still on Leonard’s chin and stealing away his breath, before he began to sink in Leonard’s embrace, whispering, “I’m so tired, Bones.”

“Me too, kid.” Leonard managed to pull them up on quivering legs. “Let’s go back to bed, okay?”

“'Kay,” Jim answered, barely conscious now as Leonard pulled the curtains close and then tucked him back in under the covers. He then wriggled under them himself, working his back into Jim’s chest once more as the blond automatically wrapped his arm around him, pulling him closer and nosing at his hair.

“I’m so happy you’re _mine_ , Bones,” was whispered into his neck, and for a moment’s pause Leonard froze again in the blond’s hold.

“And I will always be _yours_ ,” Jim murmured in a soft, content sigh, and Bones sank back into his boyfriend’s warmth.

It would never be easy, and the night would always seem so long, but Leonard knew that it would always be worth it. _Jim_ would always be worth it.

And as a vampire hunter, Bones knew what he was in for when he fell for one of their kind.

For one night a year, it was a small price to pay.


End file.
